Chocolate Chip Cake

This was not on the family favorite recipe list...but it is now! I was looking for a quick easy dessert to serve after dinner last week to celebrate the end of mid-term exams.  I pulled out a cookbook that I have had for ages Kitchen Keepsakes by Bonnie Welch & Deanna White. My husband and I used to go to Vermont every weekend to explore antique shops and would always stop in The Jelly Mill establishment while in Manchester. This is where I purchased this cookbook and have kept it handy because my favorite apple pie recipe is included, which I will share later.

This was a last minute idea, so I do not have pictures, but I will take them the next time I make this cake. And there will be a next time!

The recipe:

1 1/2 Cups boiling water
1 Cup oatmeal ( I used Quaker Oats- Quick Oats)
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup shortening ( I use Crisco)
2 eggs
1 1/2 Cup Flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cocoa ( I use Hershey's)
1 Cup chocolate chips (I use Nestle Toll House)
1/2 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

Pour boiling water over oatmeal in small bowl and let stand 10 minutes.  Cream sugars & shortening in separate bowl; add eggs and beat until smooth.  Add oatmeal and mix well. Add flour, soda, salt and cocoa. Beat 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips ( I used the mini chips). Pour into greased and floured 8 x 12" pan.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chips ( I used mini) and 1/2 cup nuts*** over top.  Bake in 350` oven for 35-40 minutes.

***I have this after the nuts because I do not like chopped nuts in my cakes. So this is purely a preference thing and I just wanted to let you know that the original recipe did include them.

This cake came out warm and gooey and was very good! I believe my family invented their own favorite take on this too-

Take 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream and place in bowl with 1 piece of cake. Microwave for 15-20 seconds. Mash and stir the ice cream and cake together. Apparently, this made "THE best dessert EVER".

Pumpkin Roll

I have finally done it. I have made a pumpkin roll. Now, some of you may say "Yeah, so what?", but this is the FIRST time in all my baking years that I have made a "roll" cake. I have always been afraid that I would mess one up, so I never bothered to make one, although, I love to eat them! So, today I decided to put caution to the wind. I needed to post a baked good recipe anyway. I can't wait to try it in an hour or so to see how it came out!

Why a pumpkin roll and not a jelly roll cake? Well, the reason is of pure function. I have an old recipe for pumpkin cookies (that I will share very soon) that I make every fall. I started making them when the kids were little to hide the fact that they were getting something nutritious in their treats. The only down side is that the recipe uses only a portion of the canned pumpkin, which has left exactly 2/3 Cup of pumpkin left over. I just made these cookies a few days ago (and are now gone by the way) and I thought not again! I can't waste another small amount of this; so I started reading the recipes on the label and what do you know! A pumpkin roll cake requires exactly 2/3 Cup!

This recipe is directly from the Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin 15oz. can. I did modify the filling a little bit, because I didn't have enough butter softened.  I'll note my change with an ** .

Recipe:

Libby's Pumpkin Roll (Makes 10 servings)

Cake:
Powdered Sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Filling:
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
6 Tbsp. butter or margarine softened ** I used 4Tbsp. butter & 2 Tbsp. margarine**
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Powdered sugar

Now, I think my fear of making this is routed in I needed pictures to see how it was supposed to look! Now I have them and you do too!

For Cake:

Preheat oven to 375' F. Grease 15x10" jelly roll pan. ( I used a small cookie sheet); line pan with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. (sprinkle with nuts).** I did not put in nuts, because I think this cake should be smooth; it is a preference thing.**

Bake for 13-15 minutes ( found this was done after 12 minutes) or until top of cake springs back when touched.  Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together starting with the narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

For Filling: Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth.  Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Pumpkin roll, you ain't so bad......